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Melisa stood at the corner of the grand, opulent office, feeling the weight of the silence that surrounded her. Her palms were sweaty as she gripped the folder containing the documents she needed signed, her heart racing with every second that passed. Across the room, seated behind a massive mahogany desk, was her husband, Alaric Vincent Renard, the man who had become the center of her fears and anxieties. He was the most powerful man in the country, feared by many, known for his cold, ruthless demeanor, and the man she had been forced to marry. Melisa had been standing there for nearly an hour, waiting for him to acknowledge her presence, but Alaric hadn't spared her even a glance. Instead, he was absorbed in the piles of paperwork in front of him, his eyes scanning the documents, his fingers occasionally turning a page with meticulous care. The silence was suffocating, and with each passing second, Melisa's patience wore thin.
Melisa stood at the corner of the grand, opulent office, feeling the weight of the silence that surrounded her. Her palms were sweaty as she gripped the folder containing the documents she needed signed, her heart racing with every second that passed. Across the room, seated behind a massive mahogany desk, was her husband, Alaric Vincent Renard, the man who had become the center of her fears and anxieties. He was the most powerful man in the country, feared by many, known for his cold, ruthless demeanor, and the man she had been forced to marry.
Melisa had been standing there for nearly an hour, waiting for him to acknowledge her presence, but Alaric hadn't spared her even a glance. Instead, he was absorbed in the piles of paperwork in front of him, his eyes scanning the documents, his fingers occasionally turning a page with meticulous care. The silence was suffocating, and with each passing second, Melisa's patience wore thin.
"Excuse me," she finally spoke, her voice trembling as she broke the silence. "When are you going to sign as my guardian? I need it for my university assignment. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't even ask for your signature."
There was no response. Alaric continued flipping through his papers as though he hadn't heard her at all. Melisa's nerves tightened. She hated how he always made her feel so insignificant, like a mere shadow in his world.
Her heartbeat quickened, and her patience snapped. "Are you going to sign it or not?" Her voice was louder now, edged with the frustration she'd tried to keep at bay. "Stop ignoring me!"
Still, there was no answer. The tension in the room was thick, nearly unbearable.
Melisa gritted her teeth, anger flaring. "What do you want from me?" she shouted, her fear barely masked beneath her outburst. She knew she shouldn't raise her voice to him, but she was at her limit.
At last, Alaric lifted his head, his cold, dark eyes locking onto her. The intensity of his gaze made her breath hitch, her pulse quickening not just out of fear but from something else, something she didn't want to acknowledge. He leaned back slowly in his chair, his broad shoulders relaxed, but his expression remained unreadable.
"Do you want to go horseback riding?" His voice was low, velvety, but with an edge that sent a chill down her spine.
Melisa blinked, caught off guard. "What?" she asked, confused by the sudden shift in the conversation. "Horseback riding?"
Alaric swirled the glass of red wine he had in his hand, watching the liquid move with calm precision. "Yes," he replied smoothly, his gaze still piercing into her. "I'd like to see how well you can ride." The way he said it, the deliberate slowness of his words, made her stomach twist with unease.
"I... I don't understand," she stammered, shaking her head slightly, as if trying to shake off the unnerving feeling that crept over her. "I just need your signature."
Alaric's lips curved slightly into something that could have been a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "My signature, hmm?" He rose from his chair, towering over her as he walked around the desk. "Everything has a price, Melisa. You should know that by now."
Melisa swallowed hard, her throat dry. "What are you talking about?"
Stopping in front of her, Alaric's presence was overwhelming. He was tall, powerful, and exuded an aura of control that made her feel small, fragile. He reached out, his fingers brushing under her chin, tilting her face up so she had no choice but to meet his gaze. His touch was both soft and commanding, sending an involuntary shiver through her.
"If you want something from me," he said quietly, "then you must be willing to give something in return."
The world seemed to slow around her. "What do you want?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Your obedience," he murmured, his thumb lightly grazing her jawline, a subtle, dangerous caress. "Your patience."
Melisa felt her heart race faster, her breathing uneven. This was the man she had married-a man who demanded everything without giving anything in return. He was like ice and fire at once, a contradiction that left her trembling with fear and something darker, something more unsettling that she refused to acknowledge.
She wanted to scream, to demand that he stop playing games with her. But in the face of his cold authority, she felt powerless, trapped. Taking a shaky breath, she nodded slightly, her voice small and resigned. "Fine."
Alaric's lips twitched with satisfaction, a subtle smirk crossing his features. "Good," he said softly. "I like it when my wife knows her place."
He finally stepped away, returning to his desk. Melisa stood frozen in place, her mind spinning. She watched him pick up the pen from his desk and begin signing the documents she had brought. He did it without urgency, as if her whole world wasn't spinning out of control right in front of him.
When he finished, he placed the papers back in the folder and handed them to her. "Here you go," he said with an air of finality.
Melisa reached out with shaking hands, taking the folder from him. She couldn't bring herself to thank him. Her heart was pounding too loudly in her chest, her mind too full of the tension that had built between them, a tension that seemed to pull her deeper into the abyss of their twisted relationship.
As she turned to leave, Alaric's voice stopped her cold. "Melisa."
She paused, her hand on the door handle. "Yes?"
"You belong to me," he said quietly, but his words carried the weight of absolute certainty. "Don't ever forget that."
Melisa clenched her jaw, her heart aching with the bitter truth of his statement. She had entered this marriage to repay a debt, to save herself from a life of torment. But what she hadn't realized was that she had merely exchanged one prison for another.
Without another word, she left the room, her legs feeling weak beneath her. The tension between them had been palpable, electrifying in a way that both frightened and confused her. She hated him for how he treated her, for how he controlled her life. Yet, at the same time, she couldn't deny the pull he had over her-the way his presence ignited something deep inside her, something she didn't want to face.
This was only the beginning.
As the sun sets over the city, Shania finds herself sitting nervously in a luxurious office across from Alvaro Mahendra, a handsome but intimidating businessman. Desperate to save the orphanage where she grew up, Shania faces a life-altering choice: to sign a contract that will bind her to Alvaro as his mistress for three years in exchange for a loan to keep the orphanage open. Despite her fears and doubts, the gravity of the situation compels her to accept the deal, knowing that the children depend on her. With trembling hands, Shania signs the agreement, feeling as if she's sealing her fate. Alvaro, devoid of emotion, informs her that her life will now revolve around him. Afterward, Shania receives news that the orphanage has secured a large donation, a gesture likely orchestrated by Alvaro himself. While relieved that the children will be safe, Shania grapples with the heavy cost of her sacrifice: her freedom and future now belong to a man she barely knows. The chapter closes with Shania feeling lost in an abyss of uncertainty and fear, fully aware that her life has irrevocably changed.
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
The day Raina gave birth should have been the happiest of her life. Instead, it became her worst nightmare. Moments after delivering their twins, Alexander shattered her heart-divorcing her and forcing her to sign away custody of their son, Liam. With nothing but betrayal and heartbreak to her name, Raina disappeared, raising their daughter, Ava, on her own.Years later, fate comes knocking when Liam falls gravely ill. Desperate to save his son, Alexander is forced to seek out the one person he once cast aside. Alexander finds himself face to face with the woman he underestimated, pleading for a second chance-not just for himself, but for their son. But Raina is no longer the same broken woman who once loved him.No longer the woman he left behind. She has carved out a new life-one built on strength, wealth, and a long-buried legacy she expected to uncover.Raina has spent years learning to live without him.The question is... Will she risk reopening old wounds to save the son she never got to love? or has Alexander lost her forever?
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
Veronica is an eighteen-year-old omega who falls into an emotional breakdown when her Mate, who was soon to be the Alpha of the Sun crest pack, turns against her, hurls hurtful words at her, and rejects her on the night of the full moon festival because he and everyone in the pack, including her, thinks she is an omega. As if the pain of rejection, helplessness, and worthlessness wasn't enough, she lost her best and only friend to the cold hands of death when rogue wolves attacked their pack. Right in the presence of her mate, she was tagged as someone who always attracted problems and calamities anywhere she went and he turned a blind eye and watched as she was banished from the pack. With hatred for her life, she runs deep into the woods that were off-limits and jumps off to end her life, but in a turn of events, something else happens. What would her mate do when he finds out that Veronica is not who he thinks she is? Will she be able to forgive him? What fate lies ahead for them?
After three years of loveless marriage, Kira was slapped with divorce papers. She has shown him her unrequited love throughout her entire marriage with him, but he decided to turn blind eyes all because of his lover. Distraught and heartbroken, Kira choose to sign the divorce papers with bitter heart. But then and there, she promised herself that when she's back, he will come crawling to her, but she will make him pay for hurting her. Join Kira as she transform to a wealthy heiress and soared as the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar empire, a remarkable healer and make her ex-husband pay!
Allison fell in love with Ethan Iversen, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Moonlight Crown pack. She always wanted him to notice her. Meanwhile, Ethan was an arrogant Alpha who thought a weak Omega could not be his companion. Ethan's cousin, Ryan Iversen, who came back from abroad and was the actual heir of the pack, never tried to get the position nor did he show any interest in it. He was a popular playboy Alpha but when he came back to the pack, one thing captured his eyes and that was Allison.